\n
Prior to the appearance, a petition had circulated urging the conservative commentator not to speak at the school.<\/em><\/p>\n Conservative commentator and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was shot while appearing at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, sparking chaos and a swift law enforcement response.<\/p>\n Footage of the incident, which has circulated widely online, appears to show Kirk being struck near his neck and bleeding heavily. A suspect has reportedly been taken into police custody, though few details about the shooter have been released.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Utah Valley University confirmed to HuffPost that shots had been fired during Kirk\u2019s appearance. The shooting occurred approximately 20 minutes into his speech.<\/p>\n Before the event, controversy had already been brewing on campus. A petition had circulated urging the university to bar Kirk from speaking, citing his role as a high-profile right-wing commentator and executive director of Turning Point USA.<\/p>\n The shooting quickly drew national political attention. President Donald Trump responded on Truth Social with words of support for Kirk, writing: Vice President JD Vance also weighed in, urging Americans to keep Kirk in their thoughts. \u201cSay a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father,\u201d Vance wrote. Kirk, who has two young children, noted earlier this year on Instagram that his youngest had just celebrated a first birthday in May.<\/p>\n Federal law enforcement also mobilized. FBI Director Kash Patel announced on X that agents were being deployed to Utah in response to the incident. \u201cWe are closely monitoring reports of the tragic shooting involving Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. Our thoughts are with Charlie, his loved ones, and everyone affected. Agents will be on the scene quickly and the FBI stands in full support of the ongoing response and investigation,\u201d Patel said.<\/p>\n Video of the shooting shows Kirk struck while he was addressing the crowd. According to reporting by the Salt Lake Tribune<\/em>, the gunfire erupted as he was fielding a question about mass shootings in America. Chaos followed, with students fleeing the venue and seeking cover.<\/p>\n Utah Gov. Spencer Cox issued a statement saying his office was being briefed by law enforcement. While he did not provide details on Kirk\u2019s condition, Cox stressed that the state would share information as soon as it became available.<\/p>\n \u201cI am being briefed by law enforcement following the violence directed at Charlie Kirk during his visit to Utah Valley University today,\u201d Cox wrote. \u201cWe will continue to share updates. Those responsible will be held fully accountable. Violence has no place in our public life. Americans of every political persuasion must unite in condemning this act. Our prayers are with Charlie, his family, and all those affected.\u201d<\/p>\n The Associated Press has confirmed the authenticity of the footage circulating online.<\/p>\n This remains a developing story. Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Prior to the appearance, a petition had circulated urging the conservative commentator not to speak at the school. Conservative commentator and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was shot while … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=37485"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37485\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37487,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37485\/revisions\/37487"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/37486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=37485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=37485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=37485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u201cWe must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!\u201d<\/p>\n